Developer and games publisher Riot Games has acquired independent development team Hypixel Studios.

Hypixel is currently developing Hytale, an upcoming sandbox RPG game. The studio arm of the company came together in 2018 with support Riot, as well as other angel investors. 

While Hytale is a brand new game, the name stretches all the way back to 2013, where it began as a Minecraft adventure server. According to Hypixel co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme, the server hit 18 million unique players this month.

Following the acquisition, Hytale will also be opening a new office based in Londonderry, Nothern Ireland. The company will make 20 new hires to support the expected growth and development of Hytale.

Genre-defining experience

“We’ve known the team behind Hypixel Studios for several years, and from the start they’ve been the kind of visionaries that we aspire to support; a passionate studio committed to delivering a groundbreaking, genre-defining experience for players,” said Dylan Jadeja, President of Riot Games.

“Over the last 18 months, we’ve been fortunate to advise Hypixel Studios as they build toward their vision for evolving a game genre that reaches an incredibly diverse range of players around the globe.

"Now, as they prepare to enter the next chapter, we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level through this acquisition. We look forward to supporting Hypixel Studios’ journey through the development process, helping them grow, and learning from them as well.”

Collins-Laflamme added: “Riot’s been an important partner from the start and this is a natural next step in our relationship,”

“It’ll help the studio take another leap forward in our journey from mod team to professional developers, and allows the team to realize our vision for Hytale.”